Supreme Court pauses lower court block
On Aug. 25, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday halted a lower court injunction against Donald Trump’s mail-in voting restrictions, clearing the way for the president to press ahead with the measure, though other judicial limits still remain.
The court granted an emergency request from the Justice Department and temporarily suspended a June ruling by a federal judge in Boston. That ruling had stopped Trump’s executive order from being implemented in 23 Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C.
Order covers voter rolls, ballot delivery and enforcement
Trump signed the executive order in March. It calls for compiling lists of citizens, prioritizing prosecutions of officials who issue ballots to ineligible people, and limiting the Postal Service to delivering ballots only to eligible voters.
Trump has long questioned the security of mail-in voting and has vowed to end the practice.
Legal fight likely to continue into the midterms
Because Democratic voters are more likely to vote by mail, the restrictions could benefit Republicans. Earlier, the judge said the president had no authority to change how states run elections, while the Justice Department argued that the states’ lawsuit came too early.
As the midterm elections approach, the legal dispute over mail-in voting restrictions is expected to continue.